1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an inflatable air mattress positioner system adapted to be removably installed in a casket to support a cadaver in a desired position for viewing.
2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Support systems for human beings are common and employed for a variety of physiological, protective and relaxation applications, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 587,224, 795,108, 1,491,146, 1,510,187, 3,308,491, 4,339,151, 4,424,599, 4,694,520, 4,949,412, 4,986,738, 4,998,301, 5,020,168 and 5,103,519. Support devices are also used to support cadavers as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,099,977, 2,618,041, 2,859,505, 3,955,252, and 5,201,102.
Conventional support systems used in caskets, coffins and alternative containers consist of an adjustable spring-mattress system that can be raised or lowered and tilted to some extent from side to side and from head to foot, in a plane, by a crank-screw system to position the cadaver for viewing. It has been found, however, that the crank-screw system cannot in all circumstances completely position the cadaver so as to be aesthetically pleasing for mourners. Consequently, it is often necessary to support various portions of the body with objects such as conventional pillows, empty formalin bottles, tissue paper or other objects. Such objects selected are positioned beneath the body to affect the body so that the position of the cadaver is favorable for the mourners' viewing.
The conventional spring-mattress system is costly, both for its moving parts and labor intense manufacturing, and for mounting in an existing casket. This system is not easily reusable and is ultimately disposed of with the casket regardless of the final method of disposition (cremation, burial or entombment).
Alternatively, it has been found in the art to omit use of the spring-mattress system and to line the bottom of the casket, coffin or alternative container with wood shavings and/or excelsior or other types of filler material to form a "mattress" for the remains. Again, the mortician must mold the bed of shavings or excelsior to the body so that the body is in an acceptable viewing position. This entails extracting the filling from beneath the cadaver or inserting additional filling or readjusting the existing filling at a particular point beneath the body. This method can be time consuming and can result in the need for further adjustment or support of the cadaver with conventional pillows, empty formalin bottles, tissue paper or other objects so that the position of the cadaver is once again favorable for the mourners' viewing. This system however, almost always requires the mortician to remove the material from under the cadaver to close the casket lid. The remaining filling is lost to the burial, cremation or entombment.
It is also known to insert or remove filling in a pillow for use to support the head of the cadaver in an acceptable position for mourner viewing. However, the same disadvantages of lack of adjustment which are common to the mattress leads to the need of additional positioning materials such as additional pillows, bottles, tissue paper or other objects to achieve the desired position of the cadavers head.
Additionally, a problem with the cadaver positioning systems of the prior art is that the head and back of the cadaver that is being prepared for viewing is not always acceptable when it is initially placed in the casket, coffin or alternative container. The chin may be positioned too close or too far from the chest so that the chin exceeds that which would be acceptable to mourners or look natural with respect to the chest on a vertical plane. In order to correctly position the head, any number of different materials such as empty formalin bottles, conventional pillows, tissue paper and other objects must be placed under the middle of the cadaver's back to raise the back and position the head to an acceptable standard of height for mourner viewing. This current technique is often time consuming, requires many adjustments and could be perceived as less than professional if the additional positioning materials were seen by the mourners and the general public.
Some attempts have been implemented to correct the disadvantages of the support devices and methods currently employed in the funeral industry as follows:
McKelvey, U.S. Pat. No. 587,224, discloses an inflatable headrest used with dental, surgical or other chairs. The pad is made of a molded rubber having an oblong or oval shape. The upper side is depressed to adapt to the shape of the head of the patient and the underside is attachable to a support. PA1 Doellinger, U.S. Pat. No. 795,108, discloses a pneumatic pillow comprising an inflatable rubber bag covered by a pillow case. An air pump is contained within the pillow for inflating the pillow. PA1 Larson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,491,146, discloses a head cushion comprising a plurality of substantially elliptical pieces of pliable material secured together around the edges to provide a closed chamber therewithin. This chamber may be inflated with air to provide padding. Bands are provided to the cushion to surround the person's head to attach the cushion thereto. PA1 Martin, U.S. Pat. No. 1,510,187, discloses an inflatable head rest comprising a pillow adapted to rest in the hollow of a person's neck. The pillow projects forward over the shoulder of the person in a U-shape extending close to the neck and sides of the head. Straps are attached to the pillow to attach it to the person's body to hold it in place. The tube may be inflated to a desired inflation during use and deflated for packing and storage. PA1 Nelson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,618,041, discloses an embalmer's headrest comprising a base and a head support. The headrest may be vertically adjusted with respect to the base. PA1 Spence, U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,491, discloses a cushion containing a hydrostatic gel covered with a highly elastic material. This cushion readily adapts itself to the contour of the surface of the supported body. PA1 Reda, U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,252, discloses a corpse positioner and restrainer with a rigid support member and a cradling portion disposed thereon. The device is sold in a collapsed form and may be assembled by moving the transverse portions toward each other. The device may be formed from corrugated pasteboard. PA1 Riggs, U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,151, discloses a head restraint for supporting a head while a person is seated in a chair. The device includes a strap that can be wrapped around the back of the chair and an adjustable headband secured to the strap of the head band which includes a head strap to encircle the user's head. Adhesive patches are provided on the head strap to secure the head strap about the user's head. PA1 Markus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,301, discloses a collapsible bed pan support made of a thin flexible material which may be inflated to support the body to cause the upward sloping of the body from the back towards the buttox and thigh areas of the patient. The support is relatively thin and can remain under the patient. The support allows the patient to use a normal bedpan. PA1 Wood, U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,168, discloses an inflatable handicapped chair for use by a handicapped person in bathing. The chair has a base, a back, and a plurality of individually inflatable portions to fit the handicapped person. PA1 McClure, U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,102, discloses a casket bed system that comprises a mattress with a plurality of independently inflatable sections to position a cadaver in the casket. Means are provided to position the head vertically with respect to the feet, to angle the upper torso, and to adjust the head relative to the chest to properly space the chin from the chest.
However, among these references, there is lacking a partially pneumatic pillow which is structured of an inflatable bladder with one or more chambers independently adjustable of one another and padding to adjustably position the head of the cadaver, particularly the chin with respect to the chest and the remaining part of the body, and a system of independent air bladders which can be used with this or any other support system to assist in positioning the back, arms or any other part of the cadaver that requires adjustment, as well as an inflatable air mattress support system with the structure and benefits of the present invention, which is inexpensive to manufacture, completely reusable, retrofittable to existing caskets, coffins or alternative containers and adapted for being removably installed within a casket, coffin or alternative container without altering the structure of the casket or any other positioning system already installed in the casket or having the capability of completely replacing any existing positioning system currently in use in caskets, coffins or alternative containers.